How to prevent cavities?

I had a terrible toothache last night and, I had to make an appointment with a dental care here in Brampton to remove my infected teeth. While asking about how to prevent dental cavity, the dentist told me that sugar and unhealthy food is the major reason for cavities. He also told me, our genes have a major influence on our dental health. I had to agree with him. I drink a lot of coffee in a day and even my mother had cavities when she was young.
But, I like to know what are the other reason for cavities? How can we prevent it? I thought brushing twice a day was enough to protect our teeth.

A nutrient-dense diet, with lots of vitamin D, K2 and retinol will help the teeth to remineralise, and to prevent cavities in the first place.

The phytic acid in unsoaked wholegrains and some other foods will cause cavities, so yeast breads and pretty much any commercial grain product, nuts, legumes that haven't been soaked overnight have lots of phytic acid.

Jeffrey - in my experience, a lot of it is genetics. I have good teeth. I got through my whole childhood with no cavities. I've had a couple since an adult, but not many. My brother has terrible teeth, as does my mother, but our diets have been largely the same. I've never really understood the obsession with teeth. The best advice I can give you is to not use meth, or become bulimic, those things will ruin your teeth.

People on here may not appreciate it, but mineralized water in childhood is a good source of flourine in modest levels. Absent flourine the enamel takes up hydroxyl groups which do not form hard enamel. It can be reversed (maybe) with flourine/flouride application but not very well, and likely at a higher dose than advisable because it is trying to replace a formed element in the enamel.

I grew up in the west on well water with tons of flouride (well above the recommended), and I have chisels for teeth (along with other minerals which may have played a role too). Between three sibs we had a total of four cavities to date (all in our 40s). My mom and dad grew up on well water in the east and they have had tons of cavities. So probably like everything else, some genetic, some environmental. The scientific evidence for brushing and flossing is mostly that it makes us all easier to be around!

Standing on the shoulders of giants. Giants with dirt under their nails

Natural calcium flouride in the water and other minerals taste bad, but they can help the teeth.

That is completely different than adding sodium flouride to the water system so we ingest it. Fluoride in toothpaste, and bromide in bread displace iodine, a necessary element, especially for our thyroid. Why do we have so many thyroid problems now in our society? Our soils have greatly decreased minerals, and so do our foods, and so do our bodies. One of the greatest reasons to grow your own foods is to grow it in nutrient dense soils. I agree that desserts based on flour are harmful to teeth, and modern wheat has been screwed around so badly, along with corn and some other foods, but intact and especially sprouted other grains are a different source of minerals and health. Also, if you go to places where people are healthy, they tend to balance vegetables, intact whole grains, healthy fats, nuts, and sauces in a way that works.
John S
PDX OR

That's fair, John. Flouride is extremely ionic, so it's not likely to make much difference in the biochemistry what its anion is. I do think your point about mineral deficiency in general is spot on. Things like mag deficiency and boron and so many others. Those are lost intentionally during municipal "softening". And depleted in our foods.

Yuck. Sorry thumb typing.

Standing on the shoulders of giants. Giants with dirt under their nails

Genetics is old science... look into epigenetics, "epi", meaning above.

I'm sure you're aware that sugar and bad food are the worst culprits. Fruit can be tough as well. I don't believe flouride is the answer either. Indigenous people today will show you that with perfect teeth. Also, Weston A. Price is a great source to research.

I've read that tea stains your teeth yellow but also hardens the enamel and helps prevent cavities. I've been drinking tea since my early teens, my teeth are slightly yellow and I haven't had a cavity in my adult life. Seems to be true.

I also did a paleo diet for a while and my mouth felt constantly fresh, hardly felt the need to brush my teeth. I suspect that avoiding grains and sugar is the important part and that I could include potatoes and sweet potatoes and feel the same. Buuuuuut I sure like bread products alot so I'll stick with brushing and flossing.

Fruit juice, especially the commercial stuff, that has been, by law, pasteurized, which destroys much of the antioxidants and vitamin C, with the pulp removed, is problematic for diabetes, cavities, blood sugar, alzheimers. Especially with sugar added, artificial colors and flavors added.

That is very different than eating a raw, whole fruit, ripened on the tree/vine. Many studies have shown that fruit juice causes problems and whole fruit, even enormous quantities, fights cancer, gives you antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals. These are important distinctions. How often did our caveman ancestors refuse to eat raw whole wild fruit?

I'll mention diet again as vitamins are extremely important. I was surprised that nobody mentioned oil pulling--lots of hype around it but I have found it very effective. Even if the benefits are small, it is cheap and easy to do an a regular basis.

This is interesting. I had never seen it as a named practice, but it makes sense. Toothpaste is just a detergent with flavoring, and no one used to soap their mouth intentionally. Certainly this seems at worst harmless, and more natural than detergent.

I would think saltwater gargle/swish for a similar duration might be effective, but really what you are trying to do is to promote one bacterial culture over a different one. Most of the caries bacteria I believe are strep, and they don't like fat or have the enzymes to metabolize it.

Standing on the shoulders of giants. Giants with dirt under their nails

I have been rinsing with a saltwater/baking soda rinse after brushing, figuring that acids in the mouth promote the right environment for cariogenic bacteria, and I have no issues. My dental hygenist suggested that we could probably skip the fluoride treatment my last cleaning because I generally don't get cavities.

I think the whole mineral deficiency theory has merit. I encourage a perusal of the abovementioned threads.

-CK

A human being should be able to change a diaper, plan an invasion, butcher a hog, conn a ship, design a building, write a sonnet, balance accounts, build a wall, set a bone, comfort the dying, take orders, give orders, cooperate, act alone, solve equations, analyze a new problem, pitch manure, program a computer, cook a tasty meal, fight efficiently, die gallantly. Specialization is for insects.
-Robert A. Heinlein

To stop the worsening of your teeth is both simple and not.
I havent visited a dentist for more than a dacade, and as a kid I was a regular visitor. What I did was pretty radical for some, I just brush my teeth after every meal(I eat 3 times per day), and I dont eat anything in between.
If you follow this you will be accustomed to feeling your mout very clean and brushing after a meal will be a relief and not a torture.
Also you should floss, use a soft brush and brush in a right way, its what worked for me.
The hygiene of your mouth is the most important type of hygiene there is.

And when my army is complete, I will rule the world! But, for now, I'm going to be happy with this tiny ad: